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Alex Bailey
Background Alexandra Marie Bailey (known as Alex Bailey) is an original character from The Land of Stories series, ''and one of the two main characters of the series. Alex is a girl of school-going age (She turns 12 in the first book) from Our World who used to live in a small rental house with her twin brother Conner and her mother Charlotte. Her father, John Bailey, died when she and her brother were 11. While Conner and Charlotte move into Dr. Bob's house after their second adventure in The Enchantress Returns, Alex stays in the Land of Stories. Her family explains her absence by saying she is going to a school in Vermont.TLOS III, ch 1, p. 15 Appearance and Personality ''"She was a pretty girl with bright blue eyes and short strawberry-blonde hair that was always kept neatly out of her face with a headband."''TLOS I, ch 1, p 12 Though she and Conner are twins, they haven't "looked like identical twins since they were four years old" and "Charlotte stopped dressing them in the same outfits every dayTLOS II, ch 5, p 57". Alex is described in The Wishing Spell as a bookworm, eager to please her teacher and impress her classmates. Because of this, she is often teased and made fun of behind her back, and spends her lunch breaks alone, reading. She is described as being very lonelyTLOS I, ch 1, p 14. It is likely due to her peers' jealousy that they isolate her for her genius. When she and her brother arrive in the Land of Stories, she is very excited to see all of the famous sites and meet her favourite "characters"; to the point of occasionally getting emotional over it because the fairy tales meant so much to her as a child. She feels that the fairy tales characters are her only friends. At the start of The Enchantress Returns, Alex is taking part in an honors program taking additional classes at the community college in the next town and travelling there by trainTLOS II, Prologue, p 14. She feels even more alienated from her peers at the beginning of the second book, missing the Land of Stories and her grandmother. When she and Conner return to the Land of Stories and embark on their journey to save their mother, she displays a few instances of being "born with" magic; she activates the portal, and uses the Wand of Wonderment twice before it's even finished (against the Snow QueenTLOS II, ch 17 and in the Troblin TerritoryTLOS II ch 22). She is also the only one who is capable of defeating the Evil Enchantress. At the end of ''The Enchantress Returns, she chooses to stay in the Land of Stories, because she feels more at home there than in the world where she was born.TLOS II, ch 30, p. 514 She is sad about being separated from her mother and brother but she thinks this is the right decision. At the beginning of A Grimm Warning, Alex is putting a lot of pressure on herself to become a proper fairy and worthy of the title 'Next Fairy Godmother'. When she meets a boy she likes, she is very sceptical and introspective about it at first, because she is afraid any heartbreak might turn her into another Ezmia.TLOS III, ch 4, p. 75 It shows that Alex does not wish to harm people or to stray from the right path and is willing to put her responsibilities before her feelings. Her fear returns later when she is betrayed by Rook and lashes out at the soldiers attacking her; Conner reminds her that it was self-defence, and she is not like Ezmia at all.TLOS III, ch 28, p. 425 Even though Rook explains his reason for betraying her, Alex is unwilling to forgive him, showing that she can hold a long grudge. What happened with Rook makes Alex even more resolute about placing her fairy duties before her feelings. When Alex is accepted into the Fairy Council, the other fairies explain that she has unknowingly passed their Inaugural Test of Courage (by having defeated Ezmia), Grace (by trying to grant people's wishes), Kindness (by accepting Cornelius) and Heart (by her motivation to become Fairy Godmother), showing that she is a good person at heart. She shows exceptional leadership and magic skills in A Grimm Warning. Relationships Alex and her twin brother Conner are very close, though Alex occasionally feels second-hand embarrassment for Conner's behaviour at school or the things he saysTLOS I, ch 1, p. 17. In The Enchantress Returns, comes to appreciate him (even) more when he stays optimistic in the face of hopelessness and danger.TLOS II, ch 18, p. 310 At the end of A Grimm Warning, Conner offers to stay with her in the Land of Stories for a while to help her adjust to being the new Fairy Godmother. Story 1. The Wishing Spell Alex and Conner work as a team to solve the Wishing Spell's riddle and collect the items they need to return to their world. 2. The Enchantress Returns Alex finds out she is a 'part' of the magic spell the Enchantress is trying to use to create a portal, because she is the 'heir to the throne of magic'TLOS II, ch 24, p. 438. However, Alex defeats the Enchantress because she can relate to her and uses her empathy rather than her magic. When the gateway to her world closes, she chooses to stay in the Land of Stories to learn magic with her grandmother. 3. A Grimm Warning Alex is accepted into the Fairy Council and is immediately faced with difficult choices; her grandmother falls ill, making her Acting Fairy Godmother, and the Land of Stories is under attack. She makes up a battle plan and, aided by Conner, convinces Trollbella and Elvina's armies to join their forces. Her magic rallies the armies together and helps save the kings and queens. After the battle, she becomes the new Fairy Godmother and founds the Happily Forever After Assembly. Quotes "I think what I've learned from all of this is that villains are mostly just people villanized by circumstance."''TLOS I, ch 22, p. 405 ''"I always wanted to be as loving as Wendy, or as curious as Alice, or as brave as Lucy, or as adventurous as Dorothy- I always saw a little bit of myself when I read about each of you."TLOS II, ch 27, p. 472 (add your fave quote here!) References Category:Main Characters Category:Recurring Category:Our World Characters Category:Humans Category:Fairies